Minister for Foreign Affairs Emma Bonino met today in Rome with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Executive Director Jan Mattsson, with whom she discussed Italy’s intention to pursue collaboration with UNOPS, taking the opportunity to request an update on programmes under way.
Bonino also expressed her appreciation for the high quality and sustainability of UNOPS projects, especially in terms of gender issues and the true development needs of the areas in which it intervenes. Mattsson also met with Director General for Development Cooperation Giampaolo Cantini to discuss a series of technical aspects concerning Italian-UNOPS collaboration.
Italy and UNOPS collaborate on development collaboration projects that concern local institution-building, the most prominent of which include Afghanistan (infrastructure), Sudan (elementary education), Somalia (healthcare services) and South Sudan (hospitals); other major efforts have been carried out in Central America, the Palestinian Territories, Kosovo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal. From 2008 to 2013 Italy has placed approximately 25 million euro under UNOPS administration.